Cuts like a knife
by DaMadFish
Summary: Chakotay's angry............


Disclaimer; all characters, ship, crew, universe, yak yak yak, belong to the almighty Paramount - the gods whom all us fanfic writers worship. The song (which incidentally I LOVE!) is by Bryan Adams, called 'Cuts like a knife', and also does not belong to me. (sigh). if you dont know the song - where have you BEEN !!!!  
  
Note; I had to get this out of my system. It was halting all the other creative rubbish that flows from my brain. Be kind - it's my first 'song-fic'.  
Rated; general.  
April 2001.  
  
Cuts like a knife  
  
Chakotay wondered, yet again, what he had done wrong. Everything had been going well between them - he felt that she was finally letting him get closer to her, but now…. Now the captain was avoiding him, even when they were on duty. Whenever he went to the bridge for his duty shift, she would immediately hand control of the bridge to him and retreat into her ready-room. She never came out unless she was needed or until his shift finished. She avoided him off-duty as well. She had cancelled their weekly dinner 'dates', claiming to have too much work, and never ate with him in the mess hall anymore. She'd been like it the last few weeks. It was beginning to get irritating. She spent more time with that hologram - what was his name, Michael? - than she did with him.   
And her last act had him fuming. She had ordered - ordered - him to take part in next weeks talent night. She knew how much he hated performing in front of people, and now she was ordering him to do so. He stormed into his quarters, and began thinking of what he could do.   
  
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Five days later he still had no ideas. He'd ruled out practically everything except singing, and the suggestions of his crewmates hadn't really helped.   
He was sitting in his quarters, scanning through the music database, growing more angry with each passing moment - at his inability to find anything and at his captain and supposed 'friend' for putting him in this position - when he found what appeared to be the perfect song. He listened to it a few times, and then set about learning the words.  
  
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/  
  
Talent night finally came. Chakotay had replicated the appropriate clothing for his act, and was waiting to go on stage. He had deliberately asked to go last, and could hear Neelix introducing his act.  
When he walked out on stage, everyone was stunned. He was wearing tight black jeans, a white T-shirt, a black leather jacket, and dark sunglasses. The music started, and he took the microphone from its stand, choosing to move around the stage rather than stand still.   
'Okay everyone,' he addressed the crew 'I want audience participation on this one - you'll know when.'  
He started singing, putting all of his feeling, all his anger, into the song.  
  
"Driving home this evening   
I could've sworn we had it all worked out  
You had this boy believing   
Way beyond the shadow of a doubt  
Now I heard it on the street  
I heard you might have found somebody new  
Well who is he baby?  
Who is he and tell me what he means to you  
Oh yeah  
  
I took it all for granted  
But how was I to know  
That you'd be letting go  
  
Now it cuts like a knife  
But it feels so right  
Yeah it cuts like a knife  
Oh but it feels so right"  
  
All of the bitterness, pain, and rage he'd felt over the way the captain was treating him went into the song.   
  
"There's times I've been mistaken  
There's times I thought I'd been misunderstood  
Oh yeah  
So wait a minute darling  
Can't you see we did the best we could?  
Did the best we could  
Well this wouldn't be the first time  
Things have gone astray  
But you've thrown it all away  
What do ya say?  
  
It cuts like a knife  
But it feels so right  
Well it cuts like a knife  
Oh but it feels so right"  
  
He waved his hands at the crew, encouraging them to stand up and join in. The crew were clapping their hands to the beat, and sang along in the background.  
  
"Na na na na na na na na na na   
Na na na na na na na na na na"  
  
The crew continued to clap in the background as Chakotay began the solo part again.  
  
"I took it all for granted  
But how was I to know   
That you'd be letting go?  
Now it cuts like a knife  
But it feels so right  
Yeah it cuts like a knife  
But it feels so right"  
  
"Na na na na na na na na na na   
Na na na na na na na na na na  
  
Na na na na na na na na na na   
Na na na na na na na na na na"  
  
"Well it cuts like a knife  
Yeah but it feels so right  
Yeah yeah yeah yeah  
  
Na na na na na na na na na na   
Na na na na na na na na na na  
Na na na na na na na na na na   
Na na na na na na na na na na  
  
Well it cuts like a knife  
So give it to me now  
  
Na na na na na na na na na na   
Na na na na na na na na na na  
  
Na na na na na na na na na na   
Na na na na na na na na na na"  
  
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/  
  
When the song had finished, the crew all stood and cheered, applauding Chakotays' performance. He took a quick bow, then swiftly exited the holodeck, heading for his quarters.  
When he reached the safety of his quarters, he leaned back against then wall and took off the sunglasses, closing his eyes. He felt drained. That had been one of the most nerve-racking things he'd ever done, and that was saying something - he'd been in the Maquis, thrown into the Delta Quadrant, faced unknown numbers of hostile aliens, and still he was scared of standing up and singing!   
'Never again' he vowed to himself 'I don't care what the situation is, I am never doing that again.'   
He'd just sat down on the couch when his door chime rang.  
'Come' he said, not moving from the couch. The captain was standing at the door. Before he could say anything, she simply said three words and walked off.  
'I'm sorry Chakotay.'   
  
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/  
  
De End.   
  
  
  



End file.
